Today in 1911, the first Indianapolis 500 is held, marking the start of one the most notable events in racing. The idea for the event came out of the mind of Carl Fisher. Fisher wanted to create a space where car manufactures could safely test their model’s top speeds. The result of Fisher’s thinking was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, built on 328 acres of farmland. The plan was have cars of different manufactures race to show off their full power, and convince fans to go check out newer models. Fisher and his partners decided that one long, 500 mile, race was to be held annually to attract more attention.
With a plan finalized, 40 cars lined up on May 30, 1911 for the first Indy 500. All was running smooth, until a multi-car accident broke out 13 laps into the race. Although taken care of, the crash disrupted scoring and created controversy over who the final winner was. Ralph Mulford would claim to be the winner, however it was Ray Harroun who took home the $14,250 prize.
